Fading Yellow
by SpiderSilkTales
Summary: Animated. Haven't Bumblebee and the team suffered through enough? When Bumblebee gets fatally injured, how will the team cope with themselves? Will Bumblebee survive, or will he be reduced to piles of Fading Yellow? (This story is partly reader-written. Please read the story and the rules on my profile to submit your chapter!)
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, Bossbot!" I heard someone call out. In my head, I tried to analyze who had spoken to me, as I was laboriously working on a new way to track down Megatron. The only two robots whom called me 'Bossbot' were Bulkhead and Bumblebee. The voice was high-pitched and squeaky, suggesting the latter.

"Yes, Bumblebee," I sighed, not looking up from my work. I heard my visitor shift. Suddenly, there was a crash behind me, and I made a startled half-jump in my seat.

"Uh, can I have a little help here?" Bumblebee asked. I sighed again and turned. An entire shelf of datapads had fallen on the scout, whom was now buried under hundreds of them. I inwardly laughed at the youngling and walked over. Heaving the datapads off his tiny yellow frame, Bumblebee was not-so-patiently waiting for me to finish. My gears and joints creaked in protest as I shelved the last datapads.

"Thanks, Prime!" Bumblebee shouted, completing a summersault right in my office space. I could feel my optics sparkle at my companion's young and carefree attitude.

"What was it you needed?" I remembered. He turned to me and shrugged.

"Um, I forgo- OH WAIT! Bulkhead and I wanted to go and do some donuts in the canyon. Is that cool with you?"

I allowed my optics to rest on Bumblebee. I raised the pros and cons in my head. What could happen to them in the canyon could be... devastating to say the least. I had lost a comrade once that way. I snapped out of my thoughts and focused on Bumblebee.

He was using his third-greatest weapon – his eyes. They were huge, and round, and...

"Alright," I finally sighed, falling straight into the yellow bot's trap. "And be cautious, Bumblebee, there is-"

"Yeah, yeah; really dangerous stuff in there. Anyway, see ya soon!" he cut me off while running out of the room. How a youngling whom had seen so much war in his lifetime managed to be so young and naïve was beyond me. I wished to be so young and naïve again myself.

I allowed myself to think of my team.

Prowl... there is something strange about that autobot. He learned the way of the cyber-ninja when he was barely out of the youngling stage, yet he is just mastering it now. He is an effective planner and soldier. His only easily detected flaws were his independence and his lack of emotion. There is nothing wrong with being independent, but Prowl takes it to another level. He seems to know something, but refuses to tell anyone any of his feelings; which brings me to my next point. His lack of emotions is... slightly disturbing. He seems to remain with a stoic and blanch face throughout battles and sorrows. He seems to be doing well, and I do not have the right to directly help him, so I let him continue with this strange lifestyle.

Ratchet is obviously an asset to the team. He is a well-trained field medic with amazing skills. Without him, we would all be in the scrapyard. He seems very gruff on the outside – and sometimes he _is_ – but once you get to know him, he's a very nice bot. He seems to make connections with his patients while operating, and makes sure that they're comfortable. His history has never been told in one story, but we can put together bits and pieces of what he does tell us. He obviously had a very tragic past. We don't know each other very well, but we work together in battle. We make a great team.

Bulkhead is an interesting fellow. He seems to be all brawn and no brains, but he actually has the highest level of ship-based knowledge in the group, after me. He is a necessary addition to the group when fighting, as he has the bulk to literally crash through the enemy. He is a very kind soul, though his kinship with Bumblebee may have gotten him into trouble more than a few times. The two were nearly inseparable in Autoboot Camp, and the tradition went from there to here, in this team.

Bumblebee. Just thinking the name brought up memories of him as a sparkling – the last blessing from the AllSpark. He was the only youngling left on the team, and would be for a very long time, as Bulkhead had just recently passed from youngling-hood to adulthood. Obviously a trickster, that bot was a ball of energy from the beginning. From the moment we taught him to use his vocal processor, he had been chattering away as if waiting to complete a never-ending sentence. We even kept him from his comm link so we wouldn't have to worry about him bombarding us. That's when he used the eyes for the first time. They had been so irresistible that everyone but Prowl had given in to him. But his life was not all sugar and spice. He learned to fight from us when he was just four solar-cycles of age. He is now just past twelve solar-cycles. After eight solar-cycles of training and learning – much too early for his age – he was now an official scout. His fighting was... magnificent to say the least. I had never had someone learn as quickly as he did-

I was cut from my thoughts as Bulkhead's voice rang through the comm.

**:Prime! It's- it's Bee! And me! C-come quick!:**

Bulkhead. Bumblebee. The canyon. What had they gotten themselves into now?


	2. Chapter 2

Huh, I guess people like this story more than I thought they would! Thanks to y'all who reviewed, followed, and favorited it! Please review! If I get enough, I'll host a contest in the next chapter c: REVIEW!

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"Autobots!" I shouted to the half of my team. They looked up at me. "Roll out!"

Prowl looked confused, but he did as I told him to.

"I'll just... stay behind like always," Ratchet said while walking to his computers. I put a hand on his shoulder plating.

"Not this time, old friend."

He nodded in understanding. We transformed and went through the vortex. Using some of Ratchet's newest technology, we shut down the vortex once we were through. We reverted back to our 'bot forms as we walked through the long, cut out rock.

Ratchet looked confused at our location. "Why... why here?" he asked. I was the only one out of my 2 comrades that knew why we were here.

"Optimus, why are we in a canyon?" Prowl asked as he walked up. I sighed.

"Bulkhead and Bumblebee came here to perform something called a 'donut'. I... I foolishly allowed them to go..." I said, faltering. "Bulkhead sent a distress call from here, so I thought something was wrong. However, I do not hear any-"

"H-HELP!" We heard someone yell. It echoed through the canyon, taunting us.

"Hmm. Looks like our damsels in distress are in range, Optimus," Ratchet stated.

We transformed and drove as quickly as we could; I was in the lead. I was following two weak energon signals in a seemingly random path. I suddenly screeched to a halt. Prowl and Ratchet almost crashed into my rear bumper.

"Prime, what in the name of-" Ratchet started angrily before I cut him off with a glare.

Before me was an extremely large pile of rocks.

"Hello?" I ventured. "Bumblebee? Bulkhead?"

"P-Prime?"

"Bulkhead!" Ratchet, Arcee and I shouted in sync as we started moving the boulders. I sliced through them with my axe, while Prowl kicked them off the pile and Ratchet used his magnetism to haul them away. We finally reached Bulkhead's crumpled form.

His optics were barely online, and his chassis was brutally bent and crushed. His paintjob was... marred, to say the least.

"Ratchet! Attend to him!" I shouted.

"N-no... little b-buddy..." Bulkhead managed to sputter out. Ratchet looked to me, asking for orders.

"Prowl and I will find Bumblebee. You just... do your job." I told him over my shoulder plating as Prowl and I sliced more rocks.

I looked over to Prowl. He was still kicking rocks, yes, but he had his eyes trained on the orangey-red color of the canyon. I decided to let it go.

Finally, I heard a shout from Prowl.

"Prime! Over here!" I ran to Prowl's side of the pile.

What I saw horrified me.


	3. Contest!

Okay, guys. I'm sorry, but I'm stopping this story. I'm just really busy, and I need to get to my Ninjago story. I might continue it over Summer break, but for now, it's on hold.

Haha! Gotcha! April 3rd! Lol... I'm sad it's not April Fools Day anymore... Oh well c: Anyway, I said I'd have a contest. The next chapter will be written completely by one of my readers! Of course, I'll edit it, but...

Here are the basics:

~It's gotta include Bumblebee (No duh, but I had to say that)

~The beginning has to begin with what Optimus is looking at

~The characters have to be true to their canon personalities

~Must also include these:

-Decepticon Activity

-Struggling-with-emotions Prowl

-VERY sad Bulkhead

-Irritated Ratchet

-Worried Prime

-Crying Sari (Lol I'm so mean)

~Must NOT include:

-OC's of ANY KIND

-Characters from any Transformers series that is NOT Animated

-Killing of characters (Okay, so... I guess you can get close to killing them, but...)

~Basic Rules:

-Must be at least 700 words

-Must be submitted to be via PM

-Keep it rated K+ (I allow Cybertronian swearing / gore, just not organic swearing / gore)

-Must be submitted one week from now! (Of course you can get it in early, though c:)

If you follow these rules, thank you!

A big thanks to those who will be contributing or already have contributed!

Participants:


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, I have the results for my contest! And the winner is... (Random!Blitzwing: DRUM ROLL PLEAZE!) madagascarmaster! You did an awesome job with this chappie, my friend! PS) I wrote the last bit of the chapter X3**

**And for all the rest of y'all, I'm sorry I didn't wait longer. I need you guys to PM me that you'll be doing it BEFOREHAND. Thanks.**

**For some WOW news, I'm officially changing this story to reader-written! Read more about it on my profile!**

**Thanks, enjoy the chapter, and REVIEW!**

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Bumblebee's crumpled form lay in a huge crater, obviously Lugnut's work. The normally bright yellow chassis was dulled to a nearly grey color. His left optic was cracked and his right horn had been broken off. The scout was covered in burns and there were patches of ice spread randomly which Optimus had a hunch was courtesy of a certain Triple Changer. The glass around his chest plate had been shattered. His right arm was only held there by a few sparking wires. The Prime felt nauseous at the Energon stained ground.

"Sweet Primus," Prowl muttered.

The two mechs stood in shock, neither of them moving. Suddenly, Ratchet's voice flickered through the com-link. "I've given Bulkhead basic repairs, and he should be able to travel. Though he will need more work back at the plant. Have you found Bumblebee?"

The two mechs remained silent. They jumped slightly when Ratchet yelled, "We haven't got all day! Have you found the kid or not!?"

It was Prowl who answered. "We've found him, but..." He paused, trying to tear his gaze away from the injured mech.

"But what!?"

"Ratchet, it's bad. He needs medical attention-" The black and gold mech didn't even finish his sentence before the link was cutoff.

Ratchet drove faster than he ever thought was possible at his age. The old mech slammed on his brakes to keep from crashing into the crater. Transforming, he lowered himself into the pit, moving to the Minibot's side. "Slag it, Prowl! You said it was bad, this is horrible!" None the less, he pulled his med kit out, grabbing a scanner. He ran the scanning ray over the yellow scout, watching as the true extent of Bumblebee's injuries ran across the screen. A horrified expression flashed across his faceplates. "Prime! The kid's got a dose of Cyber Venom in his systems!"

Optimus could swear his Spark just shattered at those words. He vaguely registered the rumbling as Bulkhead approached. All his focus was on the medic and the mangled scout. Worry, fear, sadness and guilt all tugged at him, adding to his shock. He knew he could've done something, anything, to keep this from happening. He could've said no when they asked to go to the canyon. He could've sent someone with them. He could've told them to go somewhere else.

Bulkhead stood frozen, paralyzed by the sight before him. He had expected the worse, but he'd never thought it'd be this bad. Sadness weighed down his Spark.

"Bumblebee..?" Sari choked on her words, tears streaming down her face. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't tear her eyes from the sight. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing. Her legs threatened to give out on her and she struggled to remain standing.

Prowl struggled to keep his faceplates calm. Different emotions whirled around inside him, making it hard to think. Anger, fear, grief, regret among others wagged a war against each other, and he felt as if it were ripping his Spark apart. Panic suddenly dominated when he noticed the two jets flying towards them. "Decepticons!" He yelled, hurling a shuriken at one of the jets.

Thundercracker bellowed angrily as the projectile clipped his wing. "Land you fool!" He bellowed at his companion. Skywarp shook unsteadily with fear.

"But, But, THE AUTOBOTS!"

"Do not start with me, you unworthy scrapheap! You should be grateful a superior being such as myself is sharing the same atmosphere as you!" Without another word, the blue Seeker dove down, opening fire on the Autobots below.

"Thundercracker, you can't leave me up here! Come back!" The cowardly Seeker cried, following the other clone.

The group below snapped out of their trance. They began returning fire, dodging the laser fire. The two Seekers transformed, continuing to shoot at the earth bound Cybertronians. Skywarp wasn't as organized in his firing as his fellow clone, but that wasn't saying much. He just fired randomly at anything that could hurt him. Suddenly, a shuriken hit Thundercracker in the face. The blue mech growled and transformed. As he flew off, he yelled that they'd be sorry they ever dared attack the Great Thundercracker.

Skywarp shrieked as a wrecking ball flew towards him. There was a loud pop and a flash of light, and the wrecking ball hit thin air that had just a moment ago had been occupied by a purple Seeker. Bulkhead felt something drop on to his shoulder. He grabbed the Seeker and held him up by his wings. The group was shocked when the Seeker whimpered and shook, trying to cower away from the large green mech. Energon tears began rolling down his faceplates and stared at Bulkhead with fear filled optics. He curled in on himself, trying to shield his fragile frame.

Skywarp had been so panicked that he hadn't thought of a location. His only thought was to get out of there. Now, he was being held hostage by a giant Autobot, and was surely going to be offlined. Fear had taken over his processor and he couldn't even register that when he'd landed he'd crippled his left wing on the large mech's shoulder. Vent's cycling in horrified gasps, the Seeker waited for the mech to end his short life cycle.

Would they take his Allspark fragment? Dismantle him and sell his parts on the black market? Give him to the Elite Guard for the information in his processor? Use him for target practice? The frantic ideas got wilder and wilder, Skywarp becoming lost in his own terrifying thoughts. The purple Seeker didn't notice he was being moved onto the ground. Nor did he notice the Stasis Cuffs being slapped on him.

His Processor grew sluggish and comfortably fuzzy. He felt calmer now that the Stasis cuffs had drained the panicked adrenaline in his systems. The fear was gone and it was a wonderful feeling. The ground suddenly felt very comfortable, the muffled noise of the Autobots talking and the vibrations in the ground became quite soothing. The purple seeker dimmed his optics till they were only the barest flicker of red.

*Back at the base*

"Well, great. Now I have two unconscious transformers in my Med-Bay." Ratchet growled as his hands flew over his tools. "Even better, one's a Decepticon, and the other's in critical condition!"

Optimus Prime and Prowl were watching Ratchet and informing him of any injuries that became worse. Bulkhead was in the main room, comforting Sari, who'd just recovered from her emotional breakdown in the canyon.

"Calm yourself, Ratchet," Prowl calmed the medic, who was now rushing to patch up energon-flowing wounds on Bumblebee.

"Yeah. We may need our energy for la-" Optimus was cut off as a loud noise rang through the metal walls of the Med-Bay.

The three autobots met each others' optics as they realized the situation. Optimus slowly turned his head, letting his eyes meet the Spark-monitor, and the most Spark-stopping sight there was...

Bumblebee's spark rate was stopped... his lifeline had flatlined. He had joined the Well of All Sparks.


	5. IMPORTANT: MAY BE THE END OF THIS STORY

This little poll could mean the end of your favorite story. Please vote to keep your favorite story going all through 2013!

THE POLL IS ON MY PROFILE

This means a lot to me! Thanks!

-SpiderSilkTales


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